Coles County Memorial Airport

Coles County Memorial Airport
IATA: MTO ICAO: KMTO FAA LID: MTO
Summary
Airport type	Public
Owner	Coles County Airport Authority
Serves	Mattoon/Charleston, Illinois
Time zone	UTC−06:00 (-6)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−05:00 (-5)
Elevation  AMSL	722 ft / 220 m
Coordinates	39°28′41″N088°16′45″W / 39.47806°N 88.27917°W / 39.47806; -88.27917
Website	ColesCountyAirport.com
Map
MTO Show map of Illinois MTO Show map of the United States
Runways
Direction Length Surface ft m 11/29 6,501 1,982 Concrete 6/24 5,799 1,768 Asphalt 18/36 1,080 329 Turf
Statistics (2020)
Aircraft operations 27,000 Based aircraft 51
Source: Federal Aviation Administration [1]

Coles County Memorial Airport( IATA : MTO, ICAO : KMTO, FAA LID : MTO) is a public use airport between Mattoon and Charleston in Coles County, Illinois. ^{[1] [2]} Owned by the Coles County Airport Authority, ^[1] it is five miles east of Mattoon ^[1] and six miles west of Charleston. The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015 called it a general aviation facility. ^[3]

The airport hosts an air show featuring aerial performances and static display as well as helicopter and monster truck rides. The show is free but accepts donations from visitors. ^[4]

The airport has a close relationship with the Civil Air Patrol. It helps students learn how to fly through a relationship with the johnson Flight Academy. ^[5]

History

Airline flights on Ozark DC-3s started in 1955; Ozark left in 1980. American Eagle flew from Coles County to Chicago's O'Hare until 1991. Midway Connections also flew to Midway International in Chicago. Airline service ended in 2000 when Great Lakes Airlines, which operated flights to Chicago's O'Hare International Airport through the Purdue University Airport, left the airport. The service was under the United Express name.

In 2023, the airport won the Frank G. Brewer Memorial Aerospace Award, which is given by the Civil Air Patrol to an airport that has made exceptional contribution to the advancement of youth through aerospace activities. ^{[5] [6]}

Facilities

The airport covers 1,225 acres (496 ha) at an elevation of 722 feet (220 m). It has three runways. ^[1] Runway 11/29 measures 6,501 by 150 feet (1,982 x 46 m), is paved with grooved concrete, and has an ILS approach. Runway 6/24 measures 5,799 by 100 feet (1,768 x 30 m) and is paved with asphalt. Runway 18/36 measures 1,080 by 250 feet (329 x 76 m) and is turf.

The airport's runway, originally built in 1974, was completely re-paved in 2015. Though the runway was closed for nearly three months, preventing most aircraft from landing there – though helicopters and crop dusters were still able to use the airport. ^[7]

Other facilities at the airport include:

• VOR/DME (MTO): 109.40 MHz automated weather available on VOR
• Fixed-base operator: Coles County Aviation
• Airport Steakhouse Restaurant

For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2022, the airport had 1,500 aircraft operations, an average of 4 per day. This included 89% general aviation, 9% air taxi, and 2% military. For the same time period, the airport had 31 based aircraft, including 25 single-engine airplanes, 3 helicopters, 2 jets, and 1 multi-engine airplane. ^{[1] [8]}

Ground transportation

While no public transit service is provided directly to the airport, Coles County Zipline provides service nearby.

Accidents & Incidents

• On June 18, 2003, a Ercoupe 415-C that took off from Coles County experienced an off-airport landing while en route to Cooch Landing Area Airport in Atwood, Illinois. The probable cause was found to be the pilot's selection of an unsuitable landing area and his improper decision to continue the approach without the airport and runway clearly in sight. ^[9]

See also

• List of airports in Illinois
• Mattoon station

References

1. FAA Airport Form 5010 for MTO PDF . Federal Aviation Administration. effective May 31, 2012.
2. "Coles County Memorial Airport" . Retrieved November 22, 2012.
3. "2011–2015 NPIAS Report, Appendix A" (PDF). National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems. Federal Aviation Administration. October 4, 2010. Archived from the original (PDF, 2.03 MB) on 2012-09-27.
4. "Air show coming to Coles County Airport". WCIA.com. 18 August 2022. Retrieved 2022-11-17.
5. Wood, Simmy (2023-09-03). "Coles County Memorial Airport wins prestigious aerospace award". WCIA.com. Retrieved 2024-02-18.
6. "Coles County Memorial Airport receives award". WAND-TV. 2023-08-30. Retrieved 2024-02-18.
7. "Reconstructed Runway Rises From Rubble at Coles County Memorial | Airport Improvement Magazine". airportimprovement.com. Retrieved 2024-02-18.
8. "AirNav: KMTO – Coles County Memorial Airport". AirNav.com. Retrieved 2022-11-17.
9. "N94327 accident description". Plane Crash Map. Retrieved 2022-11-17.

External links

• Coles County Airport
• Central Illinois Air, the fixed-base operator
• Aerial image as of March 1999 from USGS The National Map
• FAA Terminal Procedures for MTO , effective January 25, 2024
• Resources for this airport:
  • FAA airport information for MTO
  • AirNav airport information for KMTO
  • ASN accident history for MTO
  • FlightAware airport information and live flight tracker
  • NOAA/NWS weather observations: current, past three days
  • SkyVector aeronautical chart, Terminal Procedures